Vlog

• CARE! Don’t over tighten your taps!
• Over tightening your taps could cost you some serious $$$
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Have you had a tap where you just had to turn it tighter and tighter each time to get the water to stop dripping? The reality is you may be causing more damage than it’s worth. Most of the time customers unsuspectingly let the problem grow for weeks or even months until water just won’t stop and it’s too late!

Of course you should make sure your taps are off properly but check out the video to learn why it’s important to call in a plumber sooner rather than later and the importance of getting a real qualified and experienced plumber to do the job.

IT’S NOT AS SIMPLE AS JUST CHANGING THE WASHER

Washers are the obvious and usual answer when it comes to small leaking taps. You can even feel it when a washer is aged and on the go when you tighten the taps and even more so you can feel the difference when you have a new washer installed.

This property recently had another plumber out that simply changed the washers on the taps which would have been the obvious thing to do. However, the water was still leaking.

NEVER JUST CHANGE THE WASHERS, ALWAYS CHANGE AND RESEAT!

If the plumber or tradie changing the washer had a quick proper look when they removed the spindles, they would have easily seen that there was a huge scar on the seat. Have a look in the video where Richard shows us throughout how the seat looked from when he first discovered it through to after when he filed it down. You can even see the scarring there after filing.

ALL THE GEAR AND EVERY IDEA!

It’s not always the big tools that make the plumber. Having all the gear also means carrying around a little stainless steel tap insert which many don’t (but we do). In this case it was the last line of defense in the bag of tricks that our obedient Plumbdogs carry. This stainless steel insert not only allowed us to get the job done and save the current tap set, it also saved the customer a lot of money. The alternative would have been to pull the tiles down to have the sets replaced.

Replacing the washer and reseating on the onset would have saved the customer the inconvenience of calling out another plumber and wasting more time to get to the root of the problem. Not only has it wasted time, it’s also cost the customer extra to get the same problem fixed twice.

GIVE US A WHISTLE!

Next time you call out a plumber to simply change the washer, keep an eye out whether they have reseated or at least had a good close look at the seat to make sure the problem doesn’t persist.

If you’re in the Greater Perth area and are in need of a reliable Perth Plumber, give us a whistle!

Don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel, like and subscribe to stay up to date with our latest videos and if you’re in the greater Perth area give us a whistle!

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• If you can’t find your septic tank, we know how to sniff them out
• Check out our CCTV and NaviTrack gear in action
• Did we pick up a new Plumbdog Apprentice?

Today’s adventure takes us out to Stoneville in the Perth Hills. Knowing that we’re good at sniffing things out and detecting leaks and pipes, Darius got called out to a massive property up in the hills because the clients could not locate their septic tanks. They had tried digging some small holes in some areas they suspected the tank to no avail and needed to locate as the tanks were blocked.

WHAT ARE SEPTIC TANKS?

Septic tanks are underwater wastewater treatment structures which wastewater from household plumbing such as kitchen drains, laundries and bathrooms are collected. The septic system then treats the wastewater.

Septic tanks are commonly found in properties in more rural areas and properties that are not connected to the centralised sewerage system which explains why we’re up in the hills today.

ALL THE GEAR AND EVERY IDEA

We’re proud to have the best technology and plumbing equipment for the job but they’re pointless if you don’t know how to use them or have the level of plumbing knowledge that is required to be a true Plumbdog. For those following our VLOG, you’ve seen us using our CCTV and custom made high pressure water jetters. In todays video, we have a different combination of gear that we haven’t shown you before.

CCTV & NaviTrack Gear

When working with CCTV in drains, we tend to have a rough idea where we are heading when inspecting whether sniffing out with our experienced noses or by having an understanding of the plumbing plans of a property but there are times when locating pipes, access points or in this case septic tanks can get tricky. One special piece of gear we never leave our kennel without is our NaviTrack.

Rather than explaining how it all works, check out the video at [2:10] where Darius shows us how it works in a live scenario. The short version is while we have our camera in the drains below the ground, we have a way to find where the camera using our NaviTrack.

Check out the video to see it in action!

Every Idea – Knowledge and Experience

Darius is one of our top dogs and has every idea when it comes to plumbing. He locates the camera in the garden bed and digs (it’s what Plumbdogs do best) and exposes the septic tank lid. What you might not realise from the video which Darius hinted to was that the dodgy repair job to the tank which was possibly caused during construction of the garden bed.

GIVE US A WHISTLE!

Next time you have trouble detecting a septic tank or if you have any plumbing issues, come straight to the pedigree in the field. If you’re in the Greater Perth area and need of a reliable Perth Plumber, give us a whistle!

Don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel, like and subscribe to stay up to date with our latest videos and if you’re in the greater Perth area give us a whistle!

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• Like servicing hot water heaters, it is equally important to service your gas heater
• See what you can do to maintain your portable heater
• Always use a qualified and licensed gas fitter to do gas work.
• Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Heaters and hot water systems are things that we regularly use in our homes and often take for granted. Some of us are great an regular maintenance but there are others who often only think about maintenance or repairs when something isn’t right.

DID YOU KNOW THAT REGULAR MAINTENANCE IS RECOMMENDED?

It is recommended that your gas heaters are serviced regularly, usually every 2 years. Failure to do so could result in a shorter life of you heating unit or even problems occurring which could have easily been avoided with a regular service or basic level of maintenance.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAINTAIN YOUR PORTABLE GAS HEATER?

There is a very basic but important job you can regularly do to keep on top of your portable gas heater and that is to keep the filters clean. Like in the rest of your home, dust quickly builds up even if you’re not using the heating unit often, you may find your unit is quite dusty.

SOME POINTERS FOR CLEANING OUT YOUR FILTERS

Clean Outside – Cleaning these up can be a messy job so take the filters outside to clean and avoid creating a huge mess in your home.

Electric Blower / Vacuum Cleaner – Most of us will at least have a vacuum cleaner at home. These are great for cleaning out filters.

Dry Paintbrush – For more than just painting, a dry paintbrush works wonders at cleaning out filters or all sorts of dusty cracks and corners.

Rinse With Cold Water – For most modern heaters, it is safe to rinse the filter in cold water to get them nice and clean. If in doubt, refer to the manual for your heating system.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is ok to clean the filters yourself but leave the gas to a licensed gas fitter. It is not safe to remove and install your own gas fittings and a licensed gas fitter is required for this. There are circumstances where you can disconnect the heater yourself e.g. if it’s a bayonet (quick connect) then you do not need to be a licensed gas fitter but if you are not sure it may best to ask or commission a licensed professional for both compliance as well as for the safety of your home.
https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/node/996 – “Do not be tempted to do gas work yourself, or to use an unlicensed gas fitter.”

TEST AND REINSTALL

When the service is complete, as gasfitter, we reinstall and it is important to test to ensure safety for our customers. We perform some checks including checking that the bayonet is gas tight and the overall safe operation of the unit.

Next time you’re thinking about your heater, don’t forget to set aside some time to give the filters a clean if you haven’t done this for a while.

GIVE US A WHISTLE!

If you you need any gas plumbing attended to, our obedient Plumbdogs are licensed gas fitters so give us a whistle and we will come!

Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up to date with our latest videos! Thanks for watching.

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• Preventative Maintenance for your Hot Water System is important
• Replacing sacrificial anodes is an important part of the maintenance
• It is just as important to use a licensed plumber for the job
• Like & Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date!

Changing anodes looks like an easy job but it isn’t always as easy as it looks. It’s the same in any industry where professionals exist because of training and experience. What might seem like a simple task may require a better understanding of the equipment, even having the right equipment, the parts and the right way to do the job.

SACRIFICIAL ANODES ARE NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL

You already know that there are many makers of hot water systems. We work with just about any hot water heater but we also supply and install new systems from Rheem, Rinnai, Dux, Vulcan and Bosch just to name a few and there’s more. Just like if you wanted to buy spare parts for your car, a case for your mobile phone, a memory stick for your camera or even fittings for your garden hose, the first thing you usually do is check whether you are buying the correct part for your make and model. This is the same for sacrificial anodes.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN USING ANODES THAT JUST AREN’T RIGHT?

We’re not sure where the client purchased or the specifications provided but what we know is they bought the anode online. It could have been advertised as a generic anode and after installing the anode, the hot water kept spitting and spluttering.

In the video, you can see that our clients had installed an anode which is smaller than the original and the customer has said that the hot water has not been the same since installation. The water has been spluttering and spitting and what we can see is the new anode is already in worse condition to the old anode which it replaced.

REPLACING SACRIFICIAL ANODES

You may have seen videos, maybe even ours, where replacing sacrificial anodes is an important part of servicing and maintaining hot water systems. Watching our videos, you would already know that sacrificial anodes are made to corrode over time as their name suggests, they sacrifice themselves to attract particles in water to help extend the life of the hot water system and hence why they need to be replaced over time.

BENEFITS OF USING A PROPER LICENSED PLUMBER

Unless you have the skills and knowledge, time and equipment, we highly recommend giving a proper experienced and licensed plumber a whistle. The person who bought the anodes at this property already wasted money buying anodes that simply didn’t do the job, suffered having hot water that did not work properly and wasted time and money in the process. Furthermore, you could injure yourself or cause damage to the property or the hot water unit if you really do not know what you are doing.

GIVE US A WHISTLE!

Next time you need a plumber that genuinely services hot water systems and not one that simply pushes you to buy a new hot water system, think of plumbers like Plumbdog. If you’re in the Greater Perth area and are in need of a reliable Perth Plumber, give us a whistle!

Don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel, like and subscribe to stay up to date with our latest videos.

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